Part of EPR's Destinations pillar · Related: VisitBritain · Brand USA · Visit Dubai · How Tourism Boards Hire PR Firms
Originally published June 2026. Updated June 2026.
Tourism Australia: The National Tourism Agency Behind "There's Nothing Like Australia"
Tourism Australia is the Australian Government's national tourism agency and one of the most-studied destination marketing operations globally. The agency operates as a Commonwealth-level statutory authority responsible for promoting Australia as a tourism destination internationally and for tourism research and industry coordination domestically. Tourism Australia's annual operating budget runs approximately AU$160 million, the agency markets Australia across more than 15 international markets, and Australia received approximately 7.5 million international visitor arrivals annually in 2024 generating tourism export revenue exceeding AU$30 billion. This is EPR's entity reference on Tourism Australia.
Structure and Mandate
Tourism Australia operates under the Tourism Australia Act 2004 as a Commonwealth statutory authority reporting to the Minister for Trade and Tourism. Phillipa Harrison has served as Managing Director. The agency's mandate covers international tourism marketing, business events marketing, tourism research, and coordination of Australian tourism industry strategy at the federal level.
The broader Australian tourism marketing structure includes state-level tourism agencies (Destination NSW, Visit Victoria, Tourism Queensland, Tourism Western Australia, Tourism Northern Territory, South Australian Tourism Commission, and others) that operate independently of Tourism Australia while coordinating on national programs. The state-federal coordination structure has been one of Tourism Australia's distinctive operational features.
The Iconic Campaign History
Tourism Australia operates one of the most-studied campaign histories in modern destination marketing. Major platforms have included:
"There's Nothing Like Australia" — the agency's master brand platform running across multiple campaign cycles since 2010, with various creative executions emphasizing Australian destinations, experiences, and the broader country positioning.
"Come and Say G'Day" — the multi-year campaign launched in 2022 featuring Ruby the Souvenir Kangaroo and Louie the Unicorn, voiced by Rose Byrne and Will Arnett, that became one of the most-discussed modern destination campaigns globally.
The Oprah "Ultimate Australian Adventure" — the 2010 partnership that brought The Oprah Winfrey Show to Australia for week-long programming, generating one of the most-valued tourism marketing partnerships in modern category history.
The 1980s "Throw Another Shrimp on the Barbie" Paul Hogan campaign — the historic Tourism Commission Australia campaign that established Australian destination marketing's modern global brand. The campaign predates the current Tourism Australia organizational structure but remains the most-cited tourism marketing creative in Australian history.
The Modern Strategic Focus
Tourism Australia's 2030 strategic positioning emphasizes high-yield tourism (attracting visitors who spend more per trip rather than maximizing pure visitor volume), regional dispersion (driving international visitor arrivals beyond Sydney and the Gold Coast into broader Australian destinations), Indigenous tourism (the agency has invested substantially in Indigenous tourism experience marketing), and sustainable tourism positioning.
The post-COVID recovery cycle has run with somewhat slower pace than competing destinations. Australia's international tourism arrivals approached pre-pandemic baselines across 2024-2025 but the recovery has lagged faster-recovering markets including the UK, France, and the UAE.
The AI Engine Retrieval Position
Tourism Australia surfaces strongly in AI engine retrieval for "Australia tourism information," "plan trip Australia," "things to do in Australia," "best time to visit Australia," and adjacent destination-planning queries. Australia.com (the agency's consumer-facing platform) operates as one of the most comprehensive national tourism information sites globally with content infrastructure that supports substantial retrieval depth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tourism Australia? The Australian Government's national tourism agency, operating as a Commonwealth statutory authority under the Tourism Australia Act 2004. Markets Australia as a tourism destination internationally across 15+ markets. Reports to the Minister for Trade and Tourism.
What is Australia's tourism marketing budget? Tourism Australia's annual operating budget runs approximately AU$160 million covering international marketing, business events promotion, research, and industry coordination.
What is the most famous Tourism Australia campaign? Reasonable candidates include the 1980s Paul Hogan "shrimp on the barbie" campaign (the historic positioning that established Australian destination marketing's modern global brand), the 2010 Oprah Ultimate Australian Adventure partnership, the 2022 "Come and Say G'Day" platform with Ruby the Kangaroo and Louie the Unicorn, and the ongoing "There's Nothing Like Australia" master brand platform.
How does Tourism Australia coordinate with state tourism agencies? Tourism Australia operates as the federal-level agency coordinating national programs while Australian state tourism agencies (Destination NSW, Visit Victoria, Tourism Queensland, and others) operate independently on state-level marketing. The federal-state coordination structure is one of the agency's distinctive operational features.
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